The grocery store where you save green is about to get a whole lot greener!
Discount grocer Aldi reportedly will remove all pesticides from its product lines next year.
Read more: 30 must-buy items at Aldi | Clark Howard
Aldi undertaking big move toward organics
Effective January 1, Aldi is said to be removing the following eight pesticides from everything on its shelves:
- Thiamethoxam
- Chlorpyrifos
- Clothianidin
- Cypermethrin
- Deltamethrin
- Fipronil
- Imidacloprid
- Sulfoxaflor
Clark.com has reached out to Aldi for confirmation of this report, but has not heard back yet at press time.
Late last year, Aldi announced its intent to make sure eating healthy and saving money are not mutually exclusive. The store has been rolling out ‘fancier’ foods despite its reputation as a place to get no-frills groceries at rock-bottom prices, according to Business Insider. We’re talking things like artisan cheeses, smoked salmon, quinoa and coconut oil.
Also at the end of last year, Aldi completed its efforts to remove certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils and added monosodium glutamate (MSG) from their private label goods. And because 90% of what Aldi sells is private label, that’s great news!
But there are other avenues into health food that Aldi is pursuing too. The store has already removed artificial growth hormones from its milk. Up next is removing the same from its yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and other dairy products.
Finally, Aldi recently ramped up the presence of its Never Any! brand of meats, which contains no added antibiotics, hormones, animal by-products or other additives.
Bottom line: Aldi saves you money if you’re willing to have fewer name brands
Of course, the real selling point of Aldi is the money you save. Customers can save up to 50% off traditional supermarket prices and up to 30% off Walmart prices. But beware that there are tradeoffs for that savings:
- Small stores. Aldi stores are about the size of a neighborhood chain drugstore with small aisles. Less real estate means less overhead and more savings for you.
- Focus on private labels. There’s only a tiny selection of products because of the emphasis on store brands. You don’t have 10 kinds of butter, for example. There may only be one or two kinds available. Forget about the paradox of choice.
- Schedule conflicts. They have limited hours and sometimes have long lines.
- Bring your own bag, but plan to rent a cart. The stores does have grocery bags for sale, but you may want to bring your own to save even more money. Also, be sure you have a quarter on hand when you go to Aldi. You’ll have to put a 25 cent deposit in the cart, which you get back when you return it to the corral. That reduces the cost of having to pay somebody to round up carts in the parking lot and it reduces accidental dents to your car when carts roll around the parking lot.
Read more: 10 surprises you probably didn’t know about Aldi
Breaking packages: Another way to save money at the grocery store
Source: Breaking packages: Another way to save money at the grocery store by Clark on Rumble
